Also known as an editorial assessment, report, or evaluation, the manuscript assessment is a big picture examination of your entire story.
As your editor I’ll read your full manuscript and write up an 8-15 page analysis on everything from your characters and plot, to structure and style. I’ll highlight the strongest areas of your book, recommend a focus for your next edits, and explain its potential marketability.
A Manuscript Assessment is like giving your story a full body check-up at your primary doctor
Who can benefit from a manuscript assessment?
Anyone! But I like to call manuscript assessments “the indie author’s best friend.” Why? Because they are much more affordable than a full edit, but highly detailed. If you’re planning to mainly self-edit your work, an editorial evaluation is the perfect way to get a second opinion and some guidance, without breaking the bank.
Alternatively, perhaps you’re getting ready to submit to traditional publishers, but you want a professional eye to help you polish it up first. The market is highly competitive, after all.
Or maybe you’ve been discouraged by a slew of rejections, and have started to wonder if your manuscript needs more work.
What’s NOT included?
In-text edits & comments
The evaluation will include references to specific scenes and examples, but I will not make edits or comments directly on the manuscript. If that’s what you need, check out my editing offerings.
Pricing?
~$300-1500
Price depends on your word count and the manuscript’s level of polish. A 50,000 word YA novel will require less time and a shorter write-up than a “Brandon-Sanderson length” tome of >250K words. The starting rate is $0.007/word.
Example Manuscript Assessment
Here is an example manuscript assessment that I completed for one of my clients, shared here with their permission. I have blurred out names and redacted some information to protect their unpublished work (the full assessment was 15 pages). Please note that according to my author-editor contract, I will never share any details about an author’s work (without their express permission).
I offer a special thank you to this author for letting me share this document to help other authors understand what a manuscript assessment is!
Contact Us to receive a quote!
Or directly email your first chapter to creativecornerstones@gmail.com to receive a sample edit on your first 1000 words.
